Family of Italian newlywed killed in Venice Boardwalk rampage to file claim against city

Alice Gruppioni, 32, of Italy, who was run down and killed on the Venice Boardwalk during her honeymoon in August 2013, is seen during her wedding to Christian Casadei in a photo provided by her family.

The family of an Italian newlywed killed when a man drove onto the Venice boardwalk, plowing through vendor stands and a large crowd of people in August, thinks the city of Los Angeles may be partly to blame for her death and is pursuing a claim against the city, the family’s law firm said late Thursday.

Alice Gruppioni, 32, died from blunt force trauma when she was struck by a Dodge Avenger driven by Nathan Louis Campbell, 38. Sixteen others were injured.

Gruppioni was visiting the busy spot while honeymooning with her husband, Christian Casadei, who was also injured in the melee.

Campbell is facing murder, assault with a deadly weapon and hit-and-run charges as a result of the incident and has been ordered to stand trial. His attorney has called the incident a “tragic accident,” while prosecutors allege he intentionally drove into the busy boardwalk, intending to hurt as many people as possible.

Gruppioni’s family will file a Section 910 claim next week, according to a statement from Shernoff Bidart Echeverria Bentley LLP, the Los Angeles firm retained by Gruppioni’s family and husband in the days immediately following her death.

Section 910 claims are often the first step toward instituting a civil lawsuit against a city. Once filed, the city has 45 days to respond; if it denies the claim or the time expires, the family can then pursue lawsuit.

“What we do know is Venice Beach Boardwalk is a worldwide tourist attraction, and it’s simply unacceptable that any cars are able to get there,” Gregory Bentley, the family’s attorney, told the Daily News in a November interview.

Bentley said the firm was requesting public documents from a wide range of agencies and looking at other incidents in which cars have entered the boardwalk illegally.

In the weeks after the accident, City Councilman Mike Bonin called for a study of the boardwalk entrances where drivers have mistaken the broad walking path for a street. Temporary barriers were put in place, but a final decision on what, if anything, should be done to block entry points permanently has not been made.

Campbell’s entry point was one of several equipped with a cement barrier to block vehicle entrance, but he maneuvered around the blockade.